Clamshell or flip-style mobile communication devices generally have a base and a hinged or sliding lid that can be closed over the base. These devices limit the amount of physical real estate available for providing navigation control buttons when the device is in the closed state because the device housing typically protects and covers the user interface area including such control buttons when the device is in the closed state. Some devices provide fixed, non-reusable keys accessible to the user when the device is in the closed position. These keys are typically difficult to use when the device is in the open position.
These cumbersome configurations can have an undesirable effect, such as inadvertent loss of information that the user did not intend when the user cannot open or close the device quickly enough to access the keys of interest, such as not being able to answer a telephone call before the ring ends. Further, the device must process the redundant data entry operation that inevitably follows the inability of a user to access the keys of interest resulting in incorrect key presses, which needlessly uses up computing resources on the device, such as processing and battery power.
It will be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like features are identified by like reference numerals.